Game Over
by Mario Maniac 17
Summary: This is my first fanfic. Support Please!Note: I do not own Mario or any other characters from the story. They are all owned and registered by Nintendo, who I greatly adore.
1. Ch 1: Sinister Supremacy

"Today's the day, Kammy! Today's the day I'm gonna capture Peach—and Mario won't be able to stop me!" Bowser Koopa said to his sidekick, Kammy Koopa one particularly evil morning.

"You say that every morning, Your Evilness," Kammy replied.

"Yeah, but this time my plan's gonna work. It's absolutely foolproof! You'll see. _Everyone _will see." Bowser let out a low sinister chuckle.

Rolling her eyes, Kammy asked, "So, what's the plan this time? More eerily lit places? More fighting some dorks way up in the sky? Encounters with freakish aliens? A trip to the moon, perhaps?" She was referring to one of their more recent adventures in Rougeport.

"Kammy," Bowser said warningly. He hated when she did this.

"Oh, I'm sorry, too complex, Your Grumpiness? Shall we simply ask Mario if we could take..." she was cutoff mid-sentence. Bowser let out a huge flame breath roar.

"...Peach," Kammy finished weakly, charred in Bowser's rage.

"C'mon, smartmouth, no time to dawdle. We've got a princess to capture, and you, haggy, have an important role this time."

Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario had just woken up. He sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of coffee. His brother, Luigi, was at the stove. "Mornin', Bro. I'm-a making some scrambled shrooms. Want some?"

"Sure, thanks, Luigi." A few silent moments passed.

"Gee, Bro, it's been awhile since Bowser's last attempt to kidnap the princess. Isn't it about time he struck again?" Mario had to agree. It had been almost a month—29 days, to be exact—since Peach had gotten kidnapped, and that hadn't even been by Bowser. It was those X-naut creeps. Them and TEC-XX. Mario suppressed a shudder. That computer had fallen in love with his princess.

"You're right, Luigi. I'll go check on Peach. Right after I finish eating, that is."

"This—oof—dress is not good for an old aching body," wheezed Kammy as she finished zipping herself up.

"Shut up, Kammy. I don't care," growled Bowser. "Now for the finishing touch... drink this before I do something I shouldn't." Bowser handed her a small vial of brownish looking liquid.

"I have to DRINK _this!_ "cried Kammy. "It looks like liquid cardboard."

"Drink...it...and...SHUT...UP!" the nearly enraged Koopa King growled through clenched teeth.

"Yes, Your Grumpiness." She sighed, then gulped the strange concoction before she could change her mind.

Kammy disappeared in a small poof. Before the King now stood a much younger, more elegant being. She had blonde hair, dazzling blue eyes, and looked great in the pink dress she was wearing. Bowser let out a low chuckle.

It had worked.

END CH. 1


	2. Ch 2: The Beginning of the end?

Mario stepped out of the bathroom as he tucked his shower damp hair under his cap. "Do I look OK, Luigi?" he asked his younger brother.

"Yeah, you look fine, Bro... why? Aww, does someone have a little crush on the princess?" Mario felt his cheeks turn the color of his hat. He had been trying to hide the fact that he was in love with Peach from Luigi. "It's OK, Bro. I won't tell," he said, winking and gently nudging him in the side.

Mario cleared his throat. "Well, I better get going," he said. He backed away from his brother and walked briskly towards the door. He hopped down the steps and jumped into the warp pipe that would take him to his destination—the castle.

A few seconds later, he found himself at the entrance of the castle. He walked up to the door, grabbed a brass knocker and knocked twice. A moment later, a Toad answered. "Hey there, Mario! Go on up. I think the princess will be happy to see you." The Toad glanced around, and, seeing there was nobody around, motioned for Mario to come closer. He bent over, and Toad whispered in his ear, "I think Peach likes you." Mario felt his face burning for the second time in less than five minutes. The Peach he loved...loved him too? The thought tickled his wildest fantasies. He could only have hoped to get that lucky, and now... it was true.

"…Mario? Are you okay? You look so… ooh." An expression of understanding crossed the Toad's face. "I get it. You're in love with Peach and she's in love with you… err, uh, what am I saying? Go on up to the princess."

Mario sighed. That's two people who knew now. Was he that obvious? He supposed the next step was to tell Peach, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet. He reached her door, sighed again, and knocked. Peach opened the door. "Hello, Mario," she said. "So nice to see you."

Mario was slightly confused. Something about her was… different, but he couldn't quite place it. He shrugged off the feeling and stepped inside. He stayed with her for several hours talking. But it wasn't the Peach he loved…

Back in the Clown Copter, Peach groggily opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was sitting in her room, brushing her hair, and then hearing footsteps approaching her. Then everything had gone dark. Judging by her

grogginess, headache, and small bump on the back of her head, Peach guessed she had been hit on the head. That and the fact that there was a baseball bat lying on the floor of… wait! Where am I? she wondered. The princess peered over the edge. She was in the air! Suddenly frightened, she slowly turned around. When she was the pilot, Peach let out a small cry. Bowser turned around.

"Hey, Peach, how are you doing back there?"

"Fine, but… I have a… bit of a headache," Peach said slowly, still not fully conscious.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you, but there was no other way. Need some ice?" Bowser tossed her a small bag of ice.

"Bowser…you're being…nice…to me?" She was thoroughly confused; if she'd have been any more conscious, though, she would have understood.

"Yeah, I'll explain that later. First I need to land this thing." That woke Peach up. She then realized she was being kidnapped. Again. She sighed. She had let down Mario. Again. Toadsworth would be worried sick. Again. A thought

crossed her mind that made her smile. She knew Mario would come to her rescue. Usually whenever he rescued her, she got a chance to kiss him. The thought spread a warmth over her body. How she loved him… if only he loved her… She

decided that she'd have to tell Mario sooner or later.

The door to the Mario Bros. house opened. Luigi whirled around. Mario stepped inside. "Oh, hey Bro. So, how'd your time with the princess go?"

Mario frowned. "I don't know, Luigi. Something about her was… different, but I just couldn't place it."

Luigi thought for a moment. "Maybe she's worried about something. Maybe it's something with Bowser… Why don't you go see her tomorrow morning and ask her if anything's wrong?"

"You're right again, Luigi. I'll go check on her again."

By the time Mario had finished reading his fan mail and Luigi had finished watering his garden, it had gotten late. Luigi came back inside and yawned. "It's-a gettin' late, Bro. I'm going to bed."

Mario yawned too. "'Night, Luigi." It was a peaceful night in the Mushroom Kingdom, but a lone mustachioed man couldn't sleep.

He was too worried about Peach.

END CH. 2


	3. Ch 3: Secrets revealed

Peach was getting impatient. All this air travel was bad for her complexion. "Umm... excuse me... Bowser? I don't mean to be a bother, but... are we going to land soon? I'm getting a bit nauseous."

A slight expression of concern crossed Bowser's face. "Oh... yeah, okay. Don't worry, we're almost there." Peach was thinking about just how crazy all of this was. Bowser didn't want to hurt her... he gave her ice... he had been nice to her... he seemed concerned that she was nauseous... what was the matter with him?

Then she thought about something else. Why did he keep kidnapping her? He knew Mario would beat him every single time. He _knew _it. Then there was really no point in kidnapping her repeatedly. Unless... A sense of déjà vu and a bit of fear washed over Peach.

She finally knew what was happening.

Mario gave up trying to sleep. He rolled over and looked at his digital shrooms clock. 5:43 AM. He sighed, and stood up. He grabbed his clothes and cap, then headed for the shower. When he got out, he rubbed a clear circle on the steamed up mirror, looked at his reflection and sighed. Worry was destroying his normally handsome face. Mario was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes. Even his usually curly mustache was flat and droopy. _Wow, _he thought. _I really love her... I've got to tell her. As soon as I can. _

Mario pulled his cap down low over his eyes and walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge to get something to eat, then realized he wasn't even hungry. He grabbed a shrooms and put it in his pocket for later. Mario looked at the clock again. 6:12 AM. Surely the princess wasn't up yet. What to do for two more hours... he decided to walk slowly to the castle. He could use the fresh air—not to mention the exercise—and he couldn't let Luigi see him like this. He scribbled a quick note to his brother and headed out.

For two hours, Mario's thoughts tumbled, filled with worry and 'what-ifs'. _What if she finds out and hates me for it? What if she's really changed? Will I be able to tell her that I love her?..._ He found a small pond and sat down nearby it. In the distance, he saw the castle. Surrounded by flowers and perfect greenery, it was breathtaking in the early morning sun. He glanced down into the pond and saw his slightly rippled reflection. Mario quickly got up and kept walking.

When he arrived at the castle, Mario glanced at his watch. 8:11 AM. Good enough. He knocked on the door and the same Toad answered. As soon as he saw Mario, although he looked better than he did earlier, he gasped. "Mario... are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"...Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Can I talk to Peach?"

"Of course, go on up." Mario trudged up the stairs and to Peach's room. The door was open slightly. Now he was confused again. She didn't usually leave her door open... he peered inside.

"YOU BETTER NOT SCREW THIS UP FOR ME!" he heard Bowser's voice yelling through some little gadget in the princess's hand.

"I... I won't, Your Grumpiness, but I think Mario's on to me..." Peach said shakily.

"He's ON TO YOU? Well I guess you know what to do. Plan 39.7 B. I'll warn you again. DON'T MESS THIS UP, KAMMY!" She shut off the gadget.

Mario couldn't hold back his surprise. _"Kammy?" _he cried.

Kammy whirled around. Her eyes widened. "You!" she yelped. "Hold it right there!" With a poof, "Peach" was gone and the real Kammy stood before him. She waved her magic wand at him. Mario felt himself freeze. She had cast a spell on him; he couldn't move!

Kammy wasted no time. She immediately tied him up, dragged him out to the porch, and flew away with him frozen right behind her.

Bowser turned off the Clown Copter, stepped out, and opened the door for a very dizzy Peach. She fell out. "Oooohhh," she wailed. She lay there on the ground for a long time, unmoving. Bowser paused, not sure what to do. He had never really had to deal with unconscious princesses in the process of kidnapping them before. He bent down, picked Peach up, cradled her in his arms as gently as he could (being a huge, fire-breathing, sharp-clawed Koopa, it was difficult, but he found a way. For Peach.) and took her into his castle to the cozy room he had prepared for her. He set her softly on the cushiony bed. He stood there for a moment, gazing at the breathtakingly beautiful unconscious girl that lay before him... well at least it took _his _breath away. Bowser had waited so long... his plan would finally work. He smiled happily, not evilly, for the first time in... it had been to long; he had no idea. But none of that mattered now. He knelt down beside the drowsy princess's bed. _She'll soon be mine, all mine, _he thought. He leaned over her and kissed her very passionately. At that moment the door flew open.

And Peach's eyes fluttered open.

END CH. 3


	4. Ch 4: Baaaaaatleeee!

Kammy and a frozen Mario stood in the doorway, their eyes wide in disbelief. Well, Kammy's were anyway. Mario couldn't open his any wider. He was frozen. Bowser stood up quickly, his evil cheeks flaming. He cleared his throat. "Ahem. Uh, why are you staring at me like that, hag? Nothing happened! And why is Mario just standing there?"

Peach was extremely confused. It was probably her injury, but a kiss from your arch nemesis could mess anyone up. "Nothing... happened? You just... kissed... me!"

Bowser ignored her. "I asked you a question, Kammy! I expect an answer!"

"Uh, yes, Your Psychoness. Mario's frozen, of course. I cast a spell on him!"

Bowser let out a fiery roar. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! FREE HIM, YOU NITWIT!"

"Yessir, Mr. Bowser, sir," Kammy mumbled. She waved her wand, and Mario was free.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!" Mario screamed as he ran as fast as he could to Peach's bedside. Bowser shot more flames, this time towards Mario. He skidded to a halt.

"Back off, Mario. You're too late this time. I win. Princess Peach is mine now, and I'm going to marry her." Peach sat bolt upright in horror, her eyes open wide, and let out a gasp. "Unless," he added, seeing Mario was weak, as he still had dark circles under his eyes and was drooping, "you think you can take me." He let out a low chuckle. Mario glanced with a concerned look over at Peach. She met his eyes and said, "Mario... I am... all... right..." He looked back towards Bowser and narrowed his eyes. He would win. He could do this.

He would win.

Bowser came running towards him. Mario ran full speed out of his pathway, but he was too weak. Bowser trampled him. Mario was dazed. He shook his head. _Shake it off, Mario, _he told himself. He stood up. Bowser was already coming at him again. He took a huge breath and blew out flames. Mario jumped out of the way, but his feet got singed. Mario almost cried. Bowser was going to win, hands—or in his case, claws—down. Mario was lagging terribly. He was weak and shaky. He glanced at Peach again. She looked ready to faint, but it could have been the baseball bat. Mario took one last attempt. He took a deep breath and ran, fast. Faster than he had ever run in his life. He tried to get behind Bowser, but it was no use. The massive Koopa took a huge hand and smacked him. He slowly lifted his powerful hand up. Mario lay there, as unconscious as Peach had been. Bowser let out an extremely evil chuckle. Peach was furious. While Bowser and Kammy were gloating over their first victory ever against Mario, Peach, out of the corner of her eye, spotted the bat Bowser had used to take her down. It took everything she had just to get out of the bed. She tiptoed over to the baseball bat and picked it up. She had to set it back down immediately, though. It was too heavy. Her eyes filled with tears. She didn't want to marry Bowser. She loved Mario. Marrying Bowser would be her worst nightmare come true. Suddenly, energy surged through the extremely bedraggled princess's body. Adrenaline rush. She took the bat, aimed, and hurled it towards Bowser. Her aim was dead on, almost literally. With a huge cry of pain, Bowser was out cold. Kammy turned, her eyes like saucers, filled with fear of Peach. She started shaking, then broke through the window and flew away screaming. Peach grinned and let out a small cheer. She did it! Then she remembered Mario. She ran over to his side. He just lay there, paler than ever, and unmoving. It looked horrible. Peach took off one of her dainty, slightly stained from falling, gloves, and put her long, smooth fingers to Mario's throat. At first she felt nothing, but then a slow, steady _bum-bum_ of a heartbeat. Peach let out a sigh of relief. She shook him gently. "Mario, please wake up. Mario, it's me, Peach! Please wake up! Please..." she felt her body slow down. She had killed the adrenaline. Her eyes drooped. "Ma..." she had started to say 'Mario' again, but she fell unconscious yet again, her ungloved hand still clutching Mario's hand.

It was quiet in Bowser's caste for a few hours. All three of its occupants were out cold.

...could this be the end of the Mushroom Kingdom and Bowser's Kingdom alike?

END CH. 4

_Chapter 5 soon coming!_


	5. Ch 5: Emergency!

We just couldn't let that happen, now, could we? Do you know what that would mean for Nintendo and the future of video games in general? It's too horrible to speak of. So we must continue this epic, painful, heartbreaking, and simply moronic journey.

Mario was the first of the three to come back to consciousness. He blinked several times to clear his vision. After a few minutes, he had fully regained consciousness. His right shoulder was throbbing—probably a result of his beating—and his left hand felt... weird. He glanced down at it. Holding his hand was Peach's own small hand. He smiled. From the looks of it, she had probably been trying to wake him up when she fell back unconscious... but why was her glove not on her other hand? Mario had no idea. More importantly, where was Bowser? He sat up and looked around. Bowser was lying in the corner, apparently also out cold. But how... he saw a baseball bat lying beside him. _Bravo, Peach!_ he thought. Although Mario had no idea how she had managed to do that, he was extremely grateful.

One thing was for sure, though—he and Peach needed to get out of there before Bowser came to. Mario decided he better not wake Peach, so he'd have to carry her. Still holding her hand, he picked her up. He realized that there was no way that he would be able to carry her all the way back to the Mushroom Kingdom, especially with his shoulder, but he _had _to. He suddenly remembered back to the morning—he had a mushroom in his pocket! Still holding Peach, he managed to get it out and gulped it down. He instantly felt more energetic and stronger. He carried Peach down the steps, out of the castle, put on his wing cap, and flew full speed towards the Mushroom Kingdom.

About an hour or so later, an exhausted Mario and a still unconscious Peach arrived back at the Mario Bros. house. Mario set the princess down on his bed, wrote her a small note, and left the room. He walked over to Luigi's room and knocked on the door. "Luigi, it's me, Mario. Can I come in?"

"Uh... just a minute!" Mario heard some rustling, like Luigi was trying to hide something. "Okay, you can come in now!" Mario opened the door and went inside.

"Bro! I was so worried about you! Your note said you'd be back by lunch, but it's almost five o'clock! And... is something the matter? You're not looking to well. What happened!"

"Shh, could you keep it down a bit, Luigi? You're going to wake Peach!"

"Wake Peach? She's here? Sleeping?"

"Actually, she's unconscious. I'm pretty worried, Luigi, I think Bowser hurt her pretty badly."

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down. _Bowser's _in on all this? Tell me what happened, Bro! Everything!" So Mario told him everything that he knew.

"Wow, Bro, sounds like you've had quite a day! Why don't you go take a nap? I'll make dinner, Peach may certainly stay, too."

Mario tiptoed back over to his room. He got a spare pillow and blanket out of his closet and laid down next to his bed, since Peach was in it. Almost instantly, he fell asleep.

Meanwhile, back in Bowser's lair, Bowser himself was coming to. "Urghh... what happened? KAMMY! WHERE ARE YOU! COME HERE AND BRING ME SOME ASPIRIN! RIGHT NOW!" Silence. Bowser sighed. "Not again, hag. How many times does she plan on running away? Lousy sidekicks."

Oh, no! It was happening again! Bowser was running away from him, and he had Peach! Mario could hear her crying, "Mario, Mario!" It didn't sound like she was calling for help, though...

"Mario, wake up! You're having a nightmare... or daymare, or something! You keep calling my name, are you okay?" Mario opened his eyes. Peach was kneeling beside him, her hand on his shoulder, her beautiful blue eyes staring into his with concern.

Mario sighed with relief. It was just a dream. "Oooohhh... my shoulder," he groaned. Peach pulled her hand back.

"Which shoulder?" Peach asked, worried. Mario indicated his right shoulder. She once again took off her glove and ran her fingers lightly over his shoulder. "Oh, Mario, it feels terribly swollen," she told him, a concerned and worried look on her face. "We better take you to the... the... the... ooh." Peach collapsed yet again.

"PEACH!" Mario cried. "NOO! _Peach!_" _She _was the one who needed to get to the hospital. Mario dashed out to the kitchen, where Luigi was making dinner. "Luigi!" he said shakily. "Come, quick! Peach collapsed again! We need to take her to the hospital!"

Luigi set down the spatula that was in his hands. A determined look crossed his face, a little unusual for the wimpier or the two brothers. "Right, Bro!" he said and sprinted to his brother's room. He pulled a large blanket off the bed, put Peach on it, and told Mario what to do. "You grab that end of the blanket, I'll get this end." The two of them grabbed their ends of the makeshift stretcher, hurried out of the house, and to the warp pipe that would take them closest to the Mushroom Kingdom General Hospital.


	6. Ch 6: All right?

Well, now that Shealene told me how to do this thingy here I'll say something. I made a little tribute to Paper Mario: the Thousand Year Door and all of its admirers in this chapter. See if you can find it :D

And. I don't own Nintendo or any of its characters or whatever. I never did, but I won't say I never will because I hope to work at Nintendo someday in the future 

The brothers burst through the hospital entrance to come face to face with a startled Koopa nurse. "Oh!" she cried, surprised, then glanced down. "Oh my goodness! Is that _Miss Toadstool?_" She turned around. "Make way, everyone, princess coming through!" Mario and Luigi followed the nurse and plowed through a crowd of gaping Goombas, Koopas, and Toads to the ER.

Once there, the nurse, named Koopie Koo, got right to business. She was crying out all sorts of orders to her coworkers. Within seconds, they were doing all sorts of tests; CAT scans, X-rays, drawing blood... "Why don't I take you two out to the waiting room?" she suggested, setting her hands on their shoulders. Mario winced.

"Yeah, uh, Miss Nurse, you should check on his shoulder, he hurt it pretty badly," Luigi said, concerned for his older brother and the princess.

"I'll do that, sir. Come with me, please, Mario." Koopie Koo led Mario to an X-ray room. "Uh," she paused, a bit shy. "...Mario? You do know you're gonna have to get undressed and wear this robe, right... You can go in this little room, I'll get the X-ray machine set up." Mario did as he was told. In two minutes he was out. Koopie Koo gestured to a metal bed. "Lay down there, please." He did so. The nurse pressed some buttons and soon there was a large... thing over him. "Stay still," she warned. Soon, it was all over. "I have to go process the X-rays... just wait here, please."

A minute or so later, she returned. "Well, Mario, looks like you've got yourself a broken shoulder. You gotta cut back on the fighting!" she said, a joking twinkle in her eye and a grin on her face. He smiled back. "I suppose we better go wrap you up, huh? Follow me."

About half an hour later, he was bandaged up and armed with broken shoulder knowledge. He went to the lobby to meet Luigi, but Luigi wasn't there. He probably had headed home. He walked over to Toadette, the receptionist. "May I see Princess Peach?" he asked.

"You sure can, Mario! She's in room 108. Be quiet, okay?" she winked at him. Mario followed all the signs and soon reached room 108. The door was open slightly.

"Peach?" he whispered as he pushed the door open. She was lying there, asleep. There was a doctor in the room. When he saw Mario, he came over and spoke to him.

"She's not doing too well, Mario. She'll be okay, but we're gonna have her stay the night and most of the day tomorrow. I suggest you visit her when she's home. We'll have her escorted back." Seeing the extreme concern on Mario's face, he added, "Don't worry, Mario. She'll make it."

"Thanks, doc," he said, disappointed, then left.

One night and one excruciatingly long day passed. Mario was sore, anxious, bored, and worried. Finally, it was night of the second day since the hospital. He couldn't wait; Peach was home, and he was going to see her tomorrow. The thoughts easily lulled his mind into the deepest sleep he had been in for awhile.

"Thanks for the ride, sir!" Peach hopped out of the ambulance and over to a Toad who helped her to her room.

"Night, Peach," the Toad said as he helped her into her bed. When he left, she breathed deeply. Her own room again. She wasn't too tired (she had slept most of the day in the hospital), so she turned on her pink bedside lamp and pulled a scrap of paper out of her glove. It was the note Mario had left her earlier when he had set her in his bed... she had already read it several times that day, but it didn't get old.

_Dear Peach, _it said,_ if you wake up and read this note, please come find Luigi or I. Hope you are okay and feel better. Luigi says you should stay for dinner. Please do. Love, Mario_.

Okay, so he wasn't the next Edgar Allen Poe, but the only thing she noticed was the last two words. _Love, Mario._ Did he mean it? She really hoped he did. She figured he'd come to see her tomorrow... It was time to tell him...

Tomorrow.

END CH. 6


	7. Ch 7: One Last Fight

**Chapter 7. So, this is the end, huh? Well, technically, this is the last chapter of Game Over, but if you want to know what happens after this, which is rather irrelevant, but hilarious in my opinion, read the Epilogue. Thanks to all my supportive readers for my first fanfic!**

**By the way, as you might have noticed, I have the characters being knocked out a lot. That does not change in this chapter!!**

"Mario! Wake up… Mario? You awake, Bro? Wake up!" Mario drowsily opened his eyes and saw Luigi standing over him. "Hey, Bro, you're awake! You have to take your medicine and we should ice your shoulder… well, you know. Then you can go see the princess." He said the last two words almost teasingly. Mario sat straight up. Peach! He looked at the clock. 8:47 A.M. was the time, according to his digital bedside clock.

"Mamma mia!" he cried. "I've-a got to go!" He jumped out of bed, threw on his clothes, brushed his teeth, grabbed his hat and headed for the door. Luigi was right behind him.

"Wait, Bro! Your medicine!" Mario stopped, turned around, took two large pills from the bottle in Luigi's hand, swallowed them, and ran out the door. "But what about the ice?" Luigi called, still behind him.

"That can wait!" Mario cried as he jumped into the warp pipe that lead him to the castle.

Peach closed her book. She wasn't feeling too well. She decided to take a shower. That would make her feel better. Afterwards, she spent a great deal of time on her hair. Peach had no idea why. She was bored. She put on some makeup… but why? She had strict orders to stay in the castle, resting. All of a sudden, she realized why. She hoped Mario would come to see her. She was expecting him. The doctor had mentioned a short tubby mustachioed guy coming to see her and whatnot. Peach started to feel a bit dizzy, so she decided to go lie down again. No sooner had she sat down than there was a knock at her door. Her heart started pounding. Could it be Mario? She took a deep breath and said, "Coming!" Peach walked to the door and slowly opened it. Standing there was none other than Mario himself. He looked a lot better than he had the other day at Bowser's castle—not that he looked _bad _then…

There she stood. She was so beautiful; more so than ever before. He just stood there for a moment, staring in to her dazzling blue eyes, as she gazed in to his. He cleared his throat and said, "Good morning, Peach! I hope I'm not disturbing anything?"

"Oh, hello, Mario! What a pleasant surprise! You're not disturbing anything! Please, do come in!" The princess was ecstatic as she motioned for him to follow her. She walked over to her bed and sat down. Mario sat down next to her. They both turned so they were facing each other. A silent moment passed.

"Uh, well, so how's your shoulder feeling, Mario?" Peach asked nervously, knowing she'd have to tell him soon.

"Good, it's broken, though. How are you feeling?"

"All right. I had a bad concussion, but I'm getting better. I'm supposed to stay here and rest, though."

"Oh, well I can stay here and keep you company, if you'd like." _If I'd like? I'd LOVE it! _Peach thought.

"Sure, that would be wonderful. Thanks, Mario!" _She's thanking **me**? I should be thanking her! _Mario thought. Which reminded him—_I have to tell her soon…_ They both sat there, thinking how to tell the other their big secret. They sat in silence like this for perhaps five minutes, but it wasn't an awkward silence. They both liked it, sitting there quietly with the other. The only discomfort was that they both avoided eye contact with the other. Mario broke the silence.

"So, have you talked to Daisy lately?"

"Yes, just a few days ago, actually. She said she'd like to get together again soon with Luigi. They're a cute couple, don't you think?"

Was she going somewhere with this? Mario didn't mind; in fact he liked where it was going. "Yes, they're very good together. I think Luigi really likes her."

Peach liked where this was going. It was almost as if they were in a play and that was her cue. And was it just her imagination, or did Mario seem to get a bit nervous when he said _'really likes her'_? Hmm…

"Um… Mario?"

"Yes, Peach?" He looked up at her, his gorgeous blue eyes gazing deep in to hers.

"Umm… would you like to stay for lunch?" She would have kicked herself, but she was in a dress and heels. Not to mention, sitting down. Why had she chickened out?

"Sure." Another silent moment passed, like before, but nearly ten minutes this time. Something deep inside Mario was shouting, "TELL HER! TELL HER!"

Peach started to talk. "…Mario? There's something I need to tell you…"

Mario's conscience took over. He put a gloved finger gently to her lips and said, "Shh. There's something I need to tell you right now." He glanced down at her hands. They were on her lap, uncrossed. Taking a deep breath, he reached over and took her delicate hands and held them in his. He looked back up into her eyes. Her cheeks were turning red and she looked slightly surprised. Did he scare her? Then a smile spread across her pinkish face. In that moment, Mario knew everything would be all right. He smiled back.

"Peach, there's bheen something I've wanted to tell you for a long time now and I can't hold it back any longer. I don't care what you think of me after this, but I have to tell you. The truth is… I really love you, Peach." His face flushed with embarrassment. Peach grinned.

"Don't be embarrassed, Mario. I—I love you too," she said softly. Mario looked back up into her eyes, astonished and happy beyond belief. He jumped up and shouted cries of excitement. Peach giggled. Mario heard her and turned around, embarrassed again. Peach stood up and walked over to Mario. She leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek, then walked back over to her bed and sat. Mario followed her, sitting closer this time. He took her hands once again. They sat there for a few moments, staring in to each other's eyes. They leaned towards each other, their lips met, and they kissed. They never wanted that moment to end, but of course it had to. They sat there for a long time, looking at each other and smiling while still holding hands. The two lovebirds talked for a while, still sitting very close and all, until there was a knock on the door. They both jumped, startled and taken out of their moment. Mario's smile disappeared and Peach frowned slightly.

"Who is it?" she called.

"It's me, Toadsworth, your highness. May I come in?" a voice answered.

"Uh, yes, just a minute!" She unwillingly took her hands from Mario's, stood up, smoothed out her dress, and walked to the door.

Mario also got up. He leaned over to tie his shoe. He heard a small cry and quickly looked up.

Peach was gone!!

He raced out the door and down the steps. He could see the Clown Copter taking off. Thinking quickly, Mario put on his classic fireball cap and started pelting the Clown Copter with flame. It quickly fell; hit the ground with a loud _thud!_ and both its occupants went flying. Bowser hit his head on a rock and was out. Peach, luckily though, landed in the grass and was OK, but had a slight headache. Mario grabbed Bowser's tail, swung him round, and sent him flying for all he was worth. He watched him sail into the horizon until he couldn't see him anymore. He walked over to Peach, who was a bit dizzy and tried to help her stand up. She did, but promptly fell over. Mario bent over, gently picked her up, carried her back to her room, and laid her on her bed.

"Are you okay?" Mario asked.

"Yes… I… am okay." She answered slowly.

"Should I get you anything or do anything for you?" he asked. She thought for a moment, and answered.

"Not… really. Just stay… with me… Stay with me, Mario."

"I'll always be with you.

**So, the Mushroom Kingdom is safe once again, and all are happy, especially Peach and Mario. But where is Kammy? And where in the world did Bowser end up? Stay tuned for Chapter 8, really the epilogue. The story's really over, but I still suggest you read the epilogue. It's pretty interesting. Thanks for all those who read this and helped me through it, which is really like nobody, but who cares? I had fun anyway. **


	8. Epilogue: Where did Bowser go?

**All right. So this is the epilogue. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading!**

**Mario Maniac 17**

"Unghh… what the…!?" Bowser slowly opened his eyes, but then jumped up when he saw his surroundings. He was gazing at a castle… but no castle he'd ever seen before. This castle had pillars, and on the front, there was a weird engraving. It was a triangle, with an upside down triangle inside it. The three outermost triangles were painted golden yellow. Bowser had never seen such a weird thing. He looked around and saw a young boy garbed in a green… dress, it looked like, and hat, with long blonde hair and weird pointy ears. "Young child," he called. There was no response from the kid. Using his wisdom (or lack thereof), he mumbled, "This must be Paris." He tried calling again, louder this time. "HEY, CHILD!!" he screamed. The strange clothed kid turned around and walked to him.

"Hello… and who are you?"

"Who am I? Why, I'm only the mighty King Bowser… and I'm lost. Where in the heck am I?"

"You're in Hyrule, sir. King Bowser? Never heard of you… are you a cohort of Ganondorf?"

"Ganondorf, who's Ganondorf? Who are you? How do I get back to the Mushroom Kingdom from here?!?"

"Ganondorf's the king of evil, always trying to steal our Triforce. I'm Link. I have no idea what the Mushroom Kingdom is."

"What's the Triforce?"

"Triforce of Courage… Bowser. Did you not see it on the temple? It's sacred to the land of Hyrule and our princess, Zelda." He got a distant look. "She's so pretty… I saved her from Ganondorf."

Bowser's head was spinning. Another princess? Another evildoer? Another "hero"? He radioed Kammy. "KAMMY! I'M IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE OR SOMETHING! GET ME OUT!!"

"Yes, your loudness." With a _poof!_, he was gone. Link tilted his head in confusion.

"That was weird," he said, and went back to playing in the field.

**wOOt! I finally finished my first fanfic! I already started a new one, and have the first chapter written up. It's called Modgnik Moorhsum Eht. For those slower people out there, that'd be "The Mushroom Kingdom" backwards. I hope it'll be interesting. **


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